Zimbabwe
Alight Little Sun Zimbabwe
Alight Little Sun Zimbabwe (ALSZ), a community-based trust formed by workers who were sponsored by the NGO Plan International as children, is the distributor of Little Suns in Zimbabwe. Led by Director Edwin Sithole, ALSZ employs over 45 Little Sun sales agents in 10 districts in Zimbabwe, creating much-needed jobs in the region. The sales agents receive training through a Little Sun micro-entrepreneurial intro course, which acts as a foundation for their selling.
Sithole and his colleagues have first-hand experience of the challenges of living without electricity from their childhoods in Zimbabwe. Says ALSZ spokesperson Canfred Pambuka,
“Some of our members experienced the brunt of studying under dimly lit conditions, and the effects are severe. But with these solar-powered lights, our young brothers and sisters will certainly do better as they will be able to study beyond sunset.”
The ambitious organisation not only supplies Little Sun solar-powered light to those without electricity at affordable prices, it also mentors rural and peri-urban youth, teaching them to value education through career guidance and skill building. Pambuka says, “Alight Little Sun Zimbabwe is happy to partner with Little Sun in delivering light to the underprivileged communities at an affordable price. Through this collaboration we aim to build sustainable businesses that are capable of delivering light to schools and children for many years to come.”
